Device for temporarily disabling bicycles



(N0 Model.)

0. TR'AUTNE-R- DEVICE FOR TEMPORARILY DISABLING BIGYG'LES.

Patented June 21,1898.

PATENT EFICE.

CHARLES TRAUTNER, OF TERRE IIAUTE, INDIANA.

DEVICE FOR TEMPORARILY DISABLING BICYCLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 605,981, dated June 21, 1898. Application filed January 22, 1897. Serial No. 620,181. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES TRAUTNER, a resident of Terre Hauie, in the county of Vigo and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Temporarily Disabling Bicycles, and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art-to which IO it pertains to make and use the same.

.The invention relates to means for temporarily disabling a bicycle or like vehicle, its object being to provide an efficient safety device that will prevent the use of the bicycle except at the will of the owner or other proper person; and it consists in the construction hereinafter described and particularly pointed out. V

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a partial elevation of a handle-bar and steering-post, the casing of an attachment to the latter being represented as broken away. Fig. 2 is a top plan of a lower case-section, clutch member, and steering-post section.

2 5 Fig. 3 is a bottom plan of an upper case-section, clutch member, and steering-post section. Fig. 4 is a section on line 4 f Fig. 1. Numeral 1 indicates a handle-bar, and 2 an upper and 3 a lower section of the steeringpost. at is a hollow member of the frame receiving said lower post-section. The postsection 2, fixed to the handle-bar, is provided with a circumferential groove 5. pin 6, fixed to the interior of section 3, engages said 5' groove in manner to hold the sections of the post against separation lengthwise without obstructing the rotation of postsectiori 2 and all parts joined thereto.

7 denotes an annular clutch member fixed receive the spline.

10 and 10 denote separate sections of a case inclosing the clutch, and 11 is a spring normally holding the clutch members engaged as necessary to the use of the machine.

to the lower section 3 and provided with in-' hers engaged.

12 indicates friction-rollers supported to turn upon studs fixed oppositely in the exterior of the clutch-ring 8.

13 and 14 are spiral grooves arranged in the inner surface of the upper case-section and adapted to receive the rollers 12 and permit them to travel and carry clutch-ring 8 up or down when the upper case-section 1O isro- 6o tated'.

15 is a stop-ring fixed to the upper postsection and adapted to prevent the upper case-section from rising on the post. The lower case-section is fixed to the lower postsection and at its upper edge at 17 supports the upper case-section in manner to permit thefree rotation ofthe latter.

By suitably rotating the case-section 10 the wheels 12 will be forced to travel up the spiral 7o grooves, thereby moving up the clutch-ring ,S'until it is freed from its counterpart.

16'denotes a horizontal groove made continuous with the upper ends of the spiral grooves and adapted to receive the rollers from the latter.

- \Vhen the two post-sections have been unclutched, as stated, the upper post-section may turn freely within the lower section, its foot being held against lengthwise movement in the fixed section by a groove and pin, as indicated, which construction, however, permits the upper section to turn in the lower. By this means the handle-bar and steeringpost are rendered inoperative and-the ma chine disabled. The handle-bar is rendered useless either for mounting or steering, and

it is also useless for steering or managing the machine by a person on foot.

l8 denotes a ring'fitting the lower post-sec- 0 tion and adapted to be pushed up-thereon until it engages the outer bottom edges of the clutch-teeth 3. The purpose of the ring 18 is to hold up the movable clutch 8 and prevent the rollers 12 from descending in the. 5 spiral grooves 13 and 11 under the influence of a spring 11, which tends to force down the clutch-ring 8 and hold the two clutch mem- This spring is put under compression when the clutch-ring is moved upwardly, as before stated, to disengage it.

The supporting-ring 18 is moved upwardly by the spring 20. It follows the clutch-ring 8 when the latter is raised, and it is held up by the pawl-lever 21, which engage a groove 2 in the said ring 18, the ends of said pawllevers automatically falling into the groove under the operation of the springs 20, which press upon these levers on the opposite side of their fulcrums 23, as shown.

The machine is disabled and locked in its inoperative condition by the simple rotation of the upper case-section.

To unlock the described devices and permit the engagement of the clutch members, the free endsof the levers 21 are arranged in the path of an eccentric disk 24, adapted to be rotated by a key, with the efiect to move said free lever ends and disengage the pawls from the ring 18,whereupon the sliding clutchring 8 is forced down and engaged with the lower fixed clutch member, the friction-rollers having been either left at or moved to the mouths of the spiral slots, so that the spring 11 can move said sliding ring 18.

It is obvious that the above-described construction can be applied to the arbor of a bicycle-pedal with the effect to enable the machine to be crippled at will, and both applications of theim provement are contemplated in the claims herein made, and the improvement also includes any suitable kind of lock and other mechanical modifications and equivalents.

Having described my invention, what I claim is-- 1. In a velocipede, a handle-bar, a steeringpost made in sections one of which is rotatable, a clutch member movable on one of the sections, a fixed counterpart clutch member, a case inclosing the clutch, devices intermediate the case and a clutch member to release the clutch, mechanism for automatically locking said clutch member from operative engagement, and a lock for said mechanism, the handle-bar and a post-section being freely rotatable when the clutch members are uncoupled, substantially as described.

2. In a bicycle, a steering-post, or the like, made in sections, one having fixed thereto a clutch member, a counterpart clutch member movable on the other section whereby the two sections may be coupled or uncoupled, mechanism for separating said clutch members at will, comprising an exterior rotatable case operatively connected to the movable clutchsection and inclosing the same, substantially as described.

3. In a bicycle, a steering-post, or the like, made in sections, one having fixed thereto a clutch member, a counterpart clutch member movable on the other section whereby the two sections may be coupled or uncoupled, mechanism for separating said clutch members at will, comprising an exterior rotatable case 0peratively connected to the movable clutch member and inclosing the same, a lock for said mechanism, a key to unlock the separating mechanism, and a spring to move the movable clutch memberinto engagement with its counterpart, substantially as described.

4. The sectional steering-post provided with clutch members one of which is movable for engaging and disengaging the post-sections either to prevent or permit independent rotation of the movable section, in combination with the inclosing case, said case having an independently-rotatable section 10 and connections between the rotatable case-section and the movable clutch member whereby the latter may be' moved out of engagement, substantially as described.

5. The sectional steeringpost provided with clutch members one of which is movable for engaging and disengaging the post-sections either to prevent or permit independent rotation of the movable section, in combination with the inclosing case, said case having an independently-rotatable section 10 and connections between the rotatable case-section and the movable clutch member whereby the latter may be moved out of engagement, and devices for holding said clutch disengaged, substantially as described.

6. The sectional steering post provided with clutch membersone of which is movable for engaging and disengaging the post-sections either to prevent or permit independent rotation of the movable section, in combination with the inclosing case, said case having an independently -.rotatable section 10 and connections between the rotatable case-section and the movable clutch member whereby the latter may be moved out of engagement, and devices for holding said clutch disengaged, a lock to keep said devices operative,

' said lock being concealed and also operative until unlocked by a key, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES TRAUTNER. \Vitnesses:

S. M. YOUNG, JAMES Cox. 

